Forbidden Fruit
by Mr. Dusk
Summary: Loan Santiago runs away from her abusive home, seeking out her birth father. A mysterious hacker leads her to the home of her uncle, and she finds that he's taking care of several nieces along with his own two children. The rabbit hole goes deeper from there. Cover art by Silent-Sid.
1. Runaway

**"** _Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow."_

 _-Frankenstein, Chapter 4_

 **Runaway**

On a nearly empty metro bus, a tall blond-haired teenage girl wearing a tourquise and black sweater with baggy black sweat pants sat shaking a bit in her seat. She kept her hands on the flap of her black messenger bag, lightly grabbing onto it and letting go. Too many thoughts were running through her head, but she tried to keep herself from panicking. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes.

 _"What am I doing?"_ she thought to herself, _"This is probably the dumbest thing I've ever done."_

...

 _Her mom and dad had been fighting again, this time they seemed to be louder and angrier than usual. They didn't notice that their daughter was eavesdropping on them. They fought about the usual things: her mother's financial decisions, her father's emotional outbursts, her mother spending too much time with a certain member of the board of directors, her father being unsatisfying...that led to the first bombshell._

 _"You think I don't know?" her father asked, "I know I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but we both know damn well you've been lying to me all this time!"_

 _Her mother sneered at him with crossed arms, "About what? You being good in the sack? "_

 _"No! About your daughter! I know Loan isn't mine!"_

 _Then her mother shrugged, turning away from her husband, "Well whoop-dee-doo, what took you so long, genius?"_

 _..._

"Penn Station!" yelled the bus driver.

Loan opened her eyes again, hearing the name of her stop. She quickly got up, nearly stumbling out of her seat. She regained her balance, and headed out the door. The train station was a little bit a walk away from the bus stop. Loan took a deep breath, and gripped the sash on her bag, _"Okay, you can do this...you can do this..."_ Slowly, she stepped towards the station; trying not to make eye contact with anyone, sometimes even looking at the ground in front of her. She entered the large concourse and made her way to the ticket counter.

After waiting in line for a few good minutes, Loan stood in front of a smiling teller, "Hi! How can I help you?"

"Um...my name is Loan Santiago. I'm scheduled for a train going to Michigan?" she nervously asked.

The teller looked at her computer, "Let's see...yup, here you are! A cabin rental even!" she then handed Loan a ticket, "Your train is the one heading for Jackson, have a safe trip!"

"Th-thanks." Loan said as she took the ticket.

 _"So they really did get me one..."_

Loan didn't need to wait too long for her train, boarding it soon enough. An attendant helped her to her cabin, and Loan shut and locked the door. Loan took a seat, setting her bag in the seat next to her, she leaned back into the cushion.

 _"...I'm really doing this. I'm really getting away. This is happening."_

Loan rubbed the left side of her face, feeling a small tinge of pain.

...

 _Loan was unsure if it was smart to ask, but she felt she had to. She took a deep breath and walked into her mother's home office, "Mom, can I ask you something?"_

 _"What is it?" she didn't even bother to look up at her._

 _"Um...I heard you and dad yelling the other night..."_

 _Her mother made a groan, looked up from her paperwork, and took off her glasses, "Loan, sweetie, your father and I love each other very much. It's just...hard sometimes for us. You'll understand once you've been in a marriage."_

 _Loan looked down, she had her hands folded on her belly, "Um...it isn't about that..."_

 _Her mother narrowed her eyes, "Oh? Then what is it?"_

 _"Dad said...he wasn't my father."_

 _Her mother's eyes widened._

 _Loan kept her head down, "Um...I love dad and all, but um...is it true? If he's not, then who-"_

 _Loan hadn't notice that her mother crossed the room until she felt a hand smack the left side of her face. The sudden strike took Loan by surprise as she fell back onto the floor. On reflex, her left hand went up to soothe the pain from the impact, and her eyes began to water._

 _Loan looked up, shaking in her seat. The face her mother was making was nothing less than pure fury._

 _"Get up and go to your room. Now."_

...

"-tion passengers, we will soon be arriving at Jackson Station, if you have checked baggage you may claim your luggage at-"

The announcement went on as Loan awoke with a headache, having fallen asleep in her seat. She put her hands to her forehead and groaned.

 _"When did I fall asleep? I haven't been able to sleep all weekend..."_

She reached for her bag, opened up the flap and picked up a bottle of asprin. She popped a few into her mouth to soothe her headache. Loan put the bottle back before pulling out folded piece of computer paper. Loan unfolded the paper and looked over the instructions she was given.

 **"Train – If you are reading this now, you must be on the train, if you are not, then cease reading. Loan, understand that it is too late to turn back now. It may be hard to accept it all at once, but you need to understand that it is too late to run back home. Even if you did, you know what awaits you there. You know that your mother will never tell you the truth. You know that your father is not your real father. You know that you will never feel fulfilled.**

 **The train you are on is taking you to Jackson, Michigan. There you will meet a Ryde driver by the name of Jonathan. He will drive you to the last destination. Do not read on until you're there."**

Loan folded the paper and put it back in the bag. She prepared to disembark.

...

As Loan walked out of the station, she saw the sun beginning to set. Michigan's brisk April air gave her a bit of a chill. Loan looked around the parking lot and found a car with the infamous "Catch-A-Ryde!" slogan detailed on the door. She approached the vehicle and the driver stuck his head out.

"Loan Santiago?" he asked with a smile.

Put on the spot and not knowing what to say, Loan just nodded.

"I'm Jon! Thank you for requesting me!"

"Um, no problem."

Jon looked at her bag, "...is that all of your luggage?"

Loan looked down, "I uh, travel light."

Jon nodded, "Yeah, I get that." the back passenger door opened, "Well, hop in! We're wasting daylight!'

Loan hesitated a moment, then quickly got inside, nearly bumping her head on the roof of the door. The door shut behind her, and the car came to life, slowly pulling out of the parking lot. Loan sat back, still feeling exhausted, she rested her eyes again.

...

 _Loan couldn't sleep, not with all the questions on the forefront of her mind. Who was her father? Why is her mother so adamant on not telling her? The left side of her face was still feeling a bit of a sting._

 _It wasn't the first time her mother had slapped her, but it certainly was the most painful._

 _Loan found herself at her computer, trying to find any sort of advice for her situation. She found herself on forums where people were discussing DNA tests and finding biological parents through birth certificates._

 _Suddenly, a message appeared on her messenger._

 _ **"L_DOG says: Good evening."**_

 _Loan exited out of the messenger, did she even have it on in the first place? She went back to the forums._

 _ **"L_DOG says: Are you there?"**_

 _Loan exited out of the messenger again. She knew she had it off. She was starting to get-_

 _ **"L_DOG says: You cannot ignore me forever Loan Santiago."**_

 _Okay, now this person had her attention, **"You say: How do you know my name? How are you turning on my messenger?"**_

 _ **"L_DOG says: I have my ways. I see that you are looking for answers. I take it Lori didn't tell you anything?"**_

 _ **"You say: You know my mom? Who are you?"**_

 _ **"L_DOG says: I do. I am only a concerend individual who can help you with what you're seeking."**_

 _Loan couldn't believe it. She knew that even responding to this person...whoever they were, was a stupid thing to do. But her curiosity and longing for answers overrode her common sense._

 _ **"You say: Do you know my father?"**_

 _ **"L_DOG says: At the most I have a lead. There is a man living in Michigan, his name is Lincoln Loud, he may know more than I do. I can arrange for you to meet him, if you're willing to leave your home on your own accord."**_

 _Loan didn't know what to make of that, she hardly ever left the apartment in the first place and this was sounding more and more suspicious. Suddenly, the printer came on and started printing some paper._

 _ **"L_DOG says: I am out of time. I'm sending a list of instructions that you must follow to the letter. If you do not wish to follow through with this, destroy them. I won't be able to contact you like this again."**_

 _ **"You say: Wait! Don't go! I still have a lot of questions!"**_

 _ **"L_DOG has left."**_

 _Loan looked down at the printed paper, unsure if she should even touch it. Hesitantly, she reached for the instructions and brought it to her, lighting up the words with her monitor's light._

 _ **"Loan, I'm sorry that there wasn't much time for formalities, but believe me when I say I'm here to help you. I know of your living situation, and I know there isn't much I can do about it. But what I can do is give you a way out. If you do not wish to leave or find your father, destroy this note. Your mother will not tell you the truth, of that I am certain.**_

 _ **Right now, you need to start packing. Don't pack too much, just enough to get you out on the road like a change of clothes and basic essentials (toothbrush and such). Whatever you do, DO NOT bring your smartphone. Your mother can be track you with it.**_

 _ **Do not read further until 6:00, that's when you need to leave."**_

 _Loan stopped reading there. She briefly wondered if it was all just a sick prank or trap by some creeps online who were watching her. Once again, her curiosity took the reins._

...

"We're here!"

Loan woke up in the Ryde car that had come to a complete stop. She looked outside, the sun was gone, night had fallen. She had been asleep for a few hours at least. Loan nevously asked the driver, "Um, where are we?"

Jon looked back at her, a bit puzzled, "Uh, where you told me to take you on the Ryde app? You paid me on there too."

Loan looked down, avoiding his gaze, "O-oh yeah! Sorry, just a bit uh..."

"No worries, I'll get the door for ya."

The backdoor opened and Loan got herself out of the vehicle. The door shut and Jon started the car again, "Have a good night!" he said before driving away.

Loan looked around, almost getting a heart attack. She was standing just outside of a cemetery. The road she was on looked to be a bit of a curve that wrapped around one side of the cemetery and kept going down a hill while the other went right into a woodland area. Loan couldn't hear anything aside from the sounds of what may be frogs and Jon's car. Then the car was gone.

 _"Okay...calm down...calm down...what does the note say?"_

Loan opened her bag and took the note out. She tried reading it in the moonlight.

 **"Final Stop – If you are reading this now, that means that Jonathan has dropped you off. If this is not the case, then cease reading. Loan, if you got this far then I applaud you, and I'm very happy for you to make it this far. Unfortunately this is as far as I can get you. The rest you'll need to figure out on your own. Follow the white rabbit."**

Loan stared blankly at the note for a moment, reading the last sentence a few more times, going over the whole thing one more time to make sure that there wasn't more to it. She then crumbled up the note and threw it on the ground.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" she yelled, "This is just wonderful! Brought here in the middle of damn nowhere with no phone, no idea where I am, and it's dark! Fuck!"

Loan took a deep breath, _"Smoke, need a smoke..."_ she opened up her bag and fished inside for her pack of cigarettes. She found the partially crumbled, half-full pack and took one out, putting it in her mouth. She went back inside the bag to find her matchbook, which wasn't too far from the pack.

The matchbook was empty.

She sighed angrily, "...of course it's fucking empty! Why wouldn't it be!" Loan was nearly screaming at this point, the cigarette fell out of her mouth.

"Hey, you alright?"

Loan jumped a little, she slowly turned to the source of the new voice and saw a little white-haired girl wearing a black hoodie and grey jeans sitting on a low brick wall. The girl was staring at her with dull eyes and a blank face.

"...are you done yelling? You're bothering my friends." the girl asked in a calm, even voice.

The fire of anger died in Loan's chest and she slowly started to shake again, "Oh, uh...yeah. Sorry."

The little girl pulled out a lighter from her hoodie, "Need a light?"

Loan looked at the lighter, feeling a bit more uneasy than before, "Uh, aren't you a bit too young to have that?"

The girl pointed at Loan's feet, "Aren't you a bit too young to have cigarettes?"

Loan looked down at the dropped cigarette, and stomped on it, "Uh, well, you know..."

"Can I have one?"

Loan looked up at her in disbelief, "What?"

The little girl's expression remained blank,"My dad doesn't smoke anymore, and my aunts are away from home. I can't exactly buy or steal any, so can I have one of yours?"

Loan looked down at her bag, contemplating, _"Is this kid for real? I really need to smoke, but giving one to a kid seems kinda..."_

"Give me one, and I'll light yours for you."

Loan looked back at the girl. Her expression still showed little to no emotion. It was honestly kinda creepy how serious she was acting. Loan slowly put her hand back into her bag and pulled out the pack of cigarettes, "...okay, just one though." she took one cigarette out and handed it to the girl.

"Thank you." the little girl took the cigarette, put the filter in her mouth, and used her lighter to burn the other end.

Loan pulled out another cigarette and put it in her mouth, she put the rest of the pack back into her bag and got closer to the wall. The little girl held out her lighter, and lit Loan's cigarette for her while she held it up.

The two rested on and against the wall, looking over the empty graveyard. The uneasiness Loan felt started to wane, although this girl she'd met still gave her a creepy vibe. She decided to ask the big question on her mind, and took out her cigarette to ask, "What are you doing out so late?"

"I'm visiting my friends with my mom." the girl quickly responded, cigarette still in her mouth.

"Uh...your friends?" Loan didn't see anyone else around.

The girl took out her cigarette, and turned towards Loan, "They're resting now. Your outburst made them uncomfortable."

"...and your mom?"

"What are you doing here?"

Loan's anxiety started to creep up on her, she took a puff from her cigarette before answering, "Oh, well, I'm uh...I just sort of came here to get away from home."

The girl took her cigarette and put it out on the top of the brick wall, "So, what's your name?"

"What's yours?"

"Lupa, Lupa Loud."

The surname rang a few bells in Loan's head, "Loud? Really?"

Lupa shrugged, "Yup."

The name of the man she was looking for echoed in Loan's head, "...do you know a Lincoln Loud?"

Loan could almost swear she saw her face twitch a bit, "Who's asking?"

"Oh, my name is Loan. Loan Santiago."

"Santiago...huh?" Lupa looked away from Loan to her other side.

"...something wrong?" Loan asked.

Lupa kept quiet for a moment, then she nodded, "Okay mom." Lupa then turned back to Loan, "Hey Loan, you want to meet my dad?"

"Huh?" Loan wasn't expecting that question.

"You asked about my dad, you want to see him?"

 _"Lincoln Loud is her dad? Odd coincidence."_ Loan thought before nodding.

Lupa jumped off the wall and started walking down the road on the hill, "Follow me."

"Huh?"

Lupa kept walking at a brisk pace, putting a bit of distance between herself and Loan.

"Hey, wait for me!" Loan started jogging after her.

Loan followed the white-haired Lupa down the hill, which lead to a long country road with a lot of fields for growing crops. In the darkness, Loan could make out a few buildings on farmland. They were mainly houses or barns or silos. Lupa kept up her pace, never bothering to slow down or look back to see if Loan was still following her.

They walked for quite a while, Loan losing track of time as she tried to keep behind the quick-footed Lupa. _"Have we walked a mile already? How did this little girl walk all the way here by herself?"_ Loan wondered. Lupa hardly made a sound aside from that of her footsteps on the paved road.

A mile or two later, and Lupa finally turned off the road onto a driveway that led up another hill. Loan looked up and saw a large house at the top of the hill. Loan hesitated to climb the hill, a bit intimidated by the sheer size of the estate, it looked to be two, maybe three stories tall, the front of the house facing the road had stairs that led up to a porch with what looked like wooden furniture and a large wooden double doors.

Lupa seemed to ignore the stairs though, and followed the driveway.

Seeing that she was going to lose sight of the white-haired girl, Loan jogged up the hill to see that the driveway was leading to a garage that was seperate to the house. On the side of the house, Lupa was climbing a stairway that led up to another porch, this one being indoors. There were also two other stairways, one leading up to what looked like a wooden deck that was connected to the house with big wooden walls and a wooden gate while the other seemed to lead downard to another door, possibly to the basement.

"You coming, or what?" Lupa suddenly asked. She was at the top of the steps, just before the single iron door.

"C-coming!" Loan hurried up the steps, Lupa opening the exterior door, then a screen door, entering the porch. Loan entered afterward, before both doors could close on her. She saw Lupa walking to another door and opening it.

"Hey Dad, I'm back." she flatly announced.

"Welcome home sweetie!" Loan heard a warm voice, then saw a tall man with white hair wearing a long-sleeved orange top with navy jeans approach the little girl, patting her head with a smile, "Back so soon?"

Loan eyed this new stranger, he was easily over six feet tall, taller than her or her parents. His white hair was the same color as Lupa's and he even had a bit of a scruff of white hair around his face, chin, and neck. His eyes looked kinda tired, as if he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long while. In the light, she could see freckles on both him and Lupa, she hadn't noticed before.

"I brought home a new friend."

The tall man snickered a bit, "You did? What are they-" he then looked up to see Loan standing in the porch. His smile ran away from his face and his eyes widened in alert. "Lupa, go to your room."

"Okay." Lupa walked past him, Loan could hear a door open and close from inside the house.

Loan's heart started to beat faster. Lupa's father was staring at her with one arm crossing his chest while the other was held up, his fist resting on his chin. Loan wasn't sure what kind of face he was making, but it sure wasn't a welcoming one.

Suddenly, he sighed and lowered his arms before stepping aside, "Well, you'd better come in."

Loan shook a little as she stepped out of the porch and into a kitchen with an island in the middle surrounded by stools, and a counter along the wall below windows that faced the outside of the house and the deck. On the island was a laptop, smartphone, and a cup of what Loan assumed was coffee. The tall man waited for Loan to walk in.

"H-hello. Are you...Lincoln Loud?" Loan hesitantly asked.

The tired tall man with white hair looked at Loan in the eyes, "Yes. I take it you're Lori's daughter, Loan Santiago."

Loan flinched, "How did you know?"

Lincoln looked away and scratched his neck, "Well...I'm your mother's younger brother."

"You're my uncle?"

"...yeah, your uncle." Lincoln sighed and looked back at her, "..okay, what do you want? Why did you come here?"

"I...I'm looking for my father."

Lincoln's eyes widened, "Your father?"

Loan nodded, "I found out that my dad isn't really my dad...I was told that you would know more about him."

"By who?"

Loan looked down, hands folded, "I...I dunno. They called themselves 'L-Dog' or something. They knew my name and your name and helped me get here so I can ask..."

Lincoln scratched his chin, shaking his head, "It couldn't be..."

"So...do you know him? My father?"

The white haired man looked down at Loan for a good part of a minute, then he closed his eyes and sighed, "Yes. I know him."

"You do! Who is he? Where is he? Please, I need to-"

"I promised your mother that I wouldn't tell anyone about him."

Loan's heart sank, she started to breathe a bit faster and gritted her teeth, "No! No you don't! Please, tell me! I didn't come all this way to-"

"Calm down!"

The commanding tone in Lincoln's voice halted Loan's grilling. Her eyes started to water, and her breathing slowed. She lowered herself to the ground, nearly curling into a ball, "Please...please...I need to know."

Lincoln sighed, he couldn't stand watching her like this and crouched down with her, "Listen to me Loan, I promised your mom and I honestly don't want to talk about him. I'm sorry."

Loan just tried to keep breathing. In and out. In and out. She slowly stood back up and Lincoln rose with her, "...what do I do now?" she asked.

Lincoln picked up his smartphone on the table, "Well...I can call your parents, what's their number?"

"No!" Loan smacked the phone away, landing back onto the table, "No! I'm not going back there!"

"What the hell? Wait, don't they know you're here?"

Loan shook her head, "No. No they don't."

Lincoln's face started to fill with worry, "...you ran off?"

Loan nodded.

"Why would you do that?"

Loan started to rub the left side of her face, "I...my mom...I dunno what to really make of her. I don't want to think of her as horrible, but she..." warm water started to drip out of her eyes again, "...she just makes me feel like I'm a mistake. A mistake she made and just wants to sweep it under the rug and forget that it's there."

"...did she hurt you?"

Loan nodded, she looked up again to see that her uncle was tearing up as well.

"...I'm sorry."

Loan looked back down, "...I just don't want to end up like her. I wanted to be like my dad, he was nice but he always seemed kind of...distant. Never really wanting to spend much time with me, and now I know why..."

Lincoln shook his head, he looked out the window. Loan peeked up at him, seeing the conflict on his face. She looked away when he looked back at her, "...okay. It's late, my daughter brought you home, and you don't want me to send you back or even contact your parents. Why don't you stay here for the night at least? I'm going to get in touch with my...uh...my partners, and we'll try to figure out what to do with you."

Loan raised an eyebrow, "Partners? More than one?"

Lincoln sighed, "Yeah."

"Oh." Loan didn't know what to make of that. She had heard of polygamous relationships but this was the first time she met someone who had one. Her own uncle even!

Lincoln started to walk out of the kitchen, "Follow me."

Loan did so and followed Lincoln through a door that led to a large dim-litted room. At the end of the room was another door that Lincoln opened, and turned on the lights. There was a huge TV in the corner of the room closest to the door with a few game consoles in front of it, a large divan couch stretched from one wall of the room, around the corner, and along another wall, and in the center was a coffee table that had a TV remote control along with a bunch of game controllers. Loan's jaw fell in awe.

Lincoln walked inside and approached a chest leaned up against a part of the wall not occupied by the couch and opened it, revealing a bunch of blankets, "Please, take a seat. The others are asleep and I dunno which one would like a roommate so you got the couch for tonight. I hope that's not a problem."

Loan headed for the couch, "N-no, that's okay!" she sat down, then caught onto one of his words, "Others?"

"You'll meet them tomorrow. I promise, they'll make themselves known." Lincoln brought her a blanket and put it around her, he then lifted the TV remote up off the coffee table and handed it to her. "Hey, you're free to make yourself at home, you can even watch TV or play games if you want. Just please don't make a lot of noise."

Loan nodded, taking the remote, "Wow...thank you..."

Lincoln shrugged, "Don't mention it. I'm going to be sleeping in the next room over. Keep it quiet, now."

She nodded again, "O-okay!"

Lincoln nodded a bit, a warm smile forming on his face for a split second, "Alright, I'm gonna get back to work. Have a good night Loan."

Lincoln left the room, turning off the light and shutting the door behind him. Loan sat on the couch, sinking into its soft cushion, and turned on the TV, making sure the volume was down.

It all felt so comfortable, so warm.

So safe.

Loan had stopped shaking.


	2. The New Girl

**The New Girl**

 _"Stop it, Lori!"_

 _"Why? You look like you want it."_

 _"I can't control that! Let go of it!"_

 _"No."_

 _"Please stop Lori, this isn't right."_

 _"You want to know what isn't right? Peeping on your sisters, you little pervert."_

 _"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, honest!"_

 _"You want to know what else isn't right? Giving your boyfriend the best years of your life just to be disappointed when he gets cold feet when it comes to proposing! Well, maybe Bobby will change his tune when he finds out that I'm pregnant."_

 _"You're pregnant?"_

 _"Not yet.. "_

 _"...no, Lori please, I'm too young to be a dad!"_

 _"You won't be a dad, it'll be_ my _child, you'll be an uncle! Be happy for me!"_

…

Lincoln woke up covered in sweat. He gasped for air and put a hand over his forehead, _"Haven't had that nightmare in a long time."_ he thought. Lincoln was in his studio, laying on the futon he had for long work nights. He reached onto the floor for his smartphone and held it up.

 **5:32**

"Guess it's morning..." Lincoln groaned, pulling himself up. He pushed off his blanket and stood up, wearing nothing but a pair of white briefs. Lincoln yawned as he crossed the room and opened a door that led to an adjacent bathroom, _"I can't believe Loan came here. After all these years...did Lisa really send her?"_ Lincoln shook his head in disbelief, and walked into the bathroom.

Lincoln opened the shower and turned on the cold water. With a twist of the pelvis, his briefs fell to the floor, _"That trick never gets old."_ he thought with a chuckle as he stepped into the shower. He pondered his situation as cold water splashed onto his lean yet slightly muscular build, _"...I need to talk to the girls about this. Leni and Sam might be okay with her staying, but Luan and Lynn might freak out...I wonder if Luna would even care?"_ Lincoln closed his eyes and continued his shower.

It was going to be a long day.

…

Loan for once was feeling well-rested. She was awake, but didn't want to leave the comfortable cushion she was resting on. She could feel sunlight bleeding into the living room and resting on her face, signaling the dawn of a new day. When it became too much, she slowly turned to her side and lazily opened one eye.

She met a pair of eyes staring at her.

"AH!" Loan yelped as she fell off the couch, landing on her side. She looked up to see a brown-haired girl with orthodontic headgear staring down at her with a sinister smile.

"Wow, you're easy to startle!" she said with a giggle, "You'll be a lot of fun!"

This girl had her hair in a ponytail tied with an orange scrunchie and held back by a yellow headband. Her attire was composed of a tucked-in white button-up, a yellow tie with white polka dots, and an orange plaid skirt.

"Who are you?" Loan asked.

The girl shook her head and pointed at Loan, "Nuh-uh! You're the stranger here! Who are you?"

Loan started to shake, being put on the spot again, "I um...I uh...I'm..."

The girl then leaned down, getting into Loan's face, "Take your time, twitchy!"

"Liby, leave her alone!" Loan sighed with relief upon seeing her uncle come to her aid.

The new girl turned her head back, "But Uncle Linc-"

"Do you want me to _double_ your allowance suspension?" Lincoln threatened, he seemed more annoyed than angry with her.

The brunet apparently named Liby groaned, "No."

"Then go to the kitchen and help me with breakfast."

"Fine, your lordship." Liby turned to give an annoyed look at Loan before heading out the door.

Lincoln walked in, now dressed in his usual attire, and helped Loan up off the floor, "...sorry about that, Liby can be...mischievous. She gets it from her mother."

Loan slowly stopped shaking, "Th-Thank you...is she-"

"She's another one of my nieces. Her mom is away from home right now."

"Oh, okay..."

Lincoln looked Loan over, "...why don't you go wash up before breakfast? The shower's free, do you have a change of clothes?"

Loan nodded, "In my bag..."

Lincoln picked up the messenger bag Loan had and opened it. He then froze in place. He calmly reached in and pulled out Loan's pack of cigarettes.

" _...oh no."_ Loan went wide eyed.

Lincoln looked over the pack for a minute, then down at Loan.

"Um, uh..." Loan started to stammer.

"Loan, are these yours?" Lincoln asked.

"...yes." Loan closed her eyes and braced to get slapped, but instead felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder. She opened her eyes again to see her uncle's face full of worry.

"...listen, I'm not gonna get mad at you for smoking, or tell you not to smoke at all, but if you do, can you please do it outside? I'd rather keep it out of the house."

Loan slowly nodded, "Okay."

Lincoln gave her shoulder a few pats and put the pack back in the bag and handed it to Loan, "You can get to the bathroom through my studio, it'll be the first door to your right in the dining room."

"Studio?"

Lincoln headed for the door, "Yeah, please don't touch anything in there, I need that room for work, alright? See you in a bit."

Her uncle had now left, and Loan was in the living room alone. She awkwardly lifted her arm. _"...I could use a shower."_ Loan left the living room and stepped into the dining room. She stopped in her tracks and looked around in awe.

The dining room was quite large, to Loan's left was a large table that looked to seat over ten people at least was set up next to a large window that showed the outside. The wall the window was on then turned a corner, and a set of wooden double doors were featured on the wall a few feet before the door to the living room.

" _So that's the front door?"_ Loan thought.

Straight ahead was the door to the kitchen area that was open. Lincoln and Liby were inside with Lincoln at the stove while Liby was going through the cabinets. Right of the kitchen was a stairway that led upstairs to the second floor, and to her immediate right was a door that Lincoln had said led to his studio. Loan walked to the door and went inside, gazing into Lincoln's inner sanctum.

" _...holy shit."_

There was a rather modest sized computer monitor on a computer desk with a big and tall computer chair pushed into it. There was also an artist desk on the wall adjacent to the computer desk. On the other side of the room was a futon that was in the "couch" position, a fleece blanket and pillow on top of it. Also along the futon wall were file cabinets and bookshelves stuffed with comic books and manga volumes.

But what caught Loan's attention the most were the posters on the wall, they were all promotional material for her favorite comic book heroine: Loud Gal _._ There was even a Loud Gal figure on her uncle's desk!

" _No fucking way..."_ Loan walked into the room and went right to the artist desk, it looked like Lincoln was working on a comic book page. Loud Gal and her arch-rival La Luchadora were confronting the villain Dr. Destoroyah in his lab.

" _...this is next month's issue! Last month Loud Gal and La Luchadora found out that Dr. Destoroyah was creating a battle-suit!"_ the gears turned in Loan's head, _"_ _Wait...uncle Lincoln is Clay McCloud?"_

…

 _Loan flipped through the comic book her dad had given her. Loud Gal was investigating a crime scene that La Luchadora supposedly caused and was jailed for, but Loud Gal found it suspicious as she knew for a fact that La Luchadora and her were fighting on a rooftop while the crime was being committed._

" _What are you reading?"_

 _Loan looked up to see her mother._

" _Look mom! Dad got me this cool book!"_

 _Loan's mom picked up the comic book, looked at the cover, and made a face of disgust, "This junk will rot your brain." she said before tearing it up._

 _That day, Loan learned that it'd probably be best to keep her things hidden._

…

Loan shook her head, _"_ _Now I got more questions...but first..."_ the door next to the artist desk was open and the girl could see a shower inside. _"_ _...better get cleaned up."_

…

A young woman with long blonde hair slowly walked downstairs, rubbing one eye with her hand while holding the railing with the other. She was wearing a loose lime green nightgown that could barely hold her hourglass figure, especially with her large breasts and ample bottom bouncing with each step. She reached the bottom and turned for the kitchen, walking past her uncle and cousin.

"Good morning uncle Linky, good morning Liby..." she greeted with a yawn, the two were too busy to notice her though.

"No Liby, we're not putting soy sauce in the pancakes."

"Then why do you have it out?"

"They're for the eggs!"

"That's gross."

"It's Mediterranean!"

The young blonde opened up the kitchen door to the bathroom on the ground floor and went inside, shutting it behind her. She approached the shower as per her regular morning routine, slipping out of her nightgown. She opened up the shower and stepped inside, only then noticing that the shower was already in use.

"Hmm?" the blonde looked up, "Why is the shower already-" she then opened up her eyes more, finally noticing the other occupant.

Loan's eyes became as big as dinner plates, a girl that couldn't be much younger than her had invaded the shower! _"_ _...holy shit those things are huge!"_

The two girls stared at each other for a moment, Loan not knowing what to say.

The invader smiled, "Oh, good morning! What's your name?"

Loan's jaw fell down and she awkwardly backed away, she covered her smaller chest and nether region with her arms. Mainly out of shame, partly out of inadequacy.

"Hmm? You okay?"

"Uh..uh...um...ahh..." Loan stammered.

"Oh, you must be shy! Hello, my name is Lena Loud!" the girl opened up her arms to embrace Loan.

Loan kept her distance, _"_ _What the hell is up with this girl?"_

Lena let her arms fall to her sides, a bit disappointed, "Not a hugger? Oh well, need me to wash your back?" the blonde beauty approached.

Loan had enough, she didn't even bother to wash her hair, she quickly moved past Lena and exited the shower. She escaped into her uncle's studio, shutting the door behind her.

" _Too close! Too close!"_ Loan took deep breaths as she tried to recover, _"_ _...my clothes are still in there."_

…

Lincoln looked up to see the door to the basement stairway open up and saw a pair of long-haired teens enter the kitchen. He smiled, "Hey you two, breakfast is almost ready."

"Guten Morgen, uncle." formally greeted the freckled brunette with a curtsy bow, holding the hems of their lilac skirt.

" **Gooood mornin' daddy! DJ Sal-E is up!"** announced the freckled white-haired teen with a single teal hair streak, violet triangle sunglasses, and a black beanie cap, speaking through the auto-tune mic with speakers around their neck.

Lincoln nodded, "I can see that Sal, you two already washed up Lyra?"

"Ja, uncle." the girl playing up the Austrian accent ran her fingers through her long brown hair held together with her lilac headband. Lyra was dressed up in a purple vest over a white dress shirt and lilac bowtie, while white stockings were under her lilac skirt.

" **We're ready for the day!"** Sal said, giving the peace sign. Sal's outfit was composed of an orange tank top and blue cargo shorts. Piercings were on Sal's left eyebrow and right ear.

Lincoln turned the range off, "Can you two help Liby set the table? I need to check on something."

Lyra nodded, "Ja."

Sal gave a thumbs up, **"** **Sure thing!"**

Lincoln watched the two go into the dining room then he walked around the stove and headed for the bathroom door, knocking on it. "You doing okay in there?"

The bathroom door opened and Lincoln got ambushed by Lena in a towel, "Uncle Linky!" she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his face.

Lincoln quickly maneuvered Lena off of him, holding her upper arms, "Lena! What are you doing here?"

Lena looked up at him, confused, "My morning shower?"

" _...oh shit, I forgot about that."_ Lincoln chided himself, "What happened to the other girl?"

Lena looked down, a frown on her face, "She didn't want to shower with me, so she left. She didn't even want me to wash her back..."

Lincoln sighed and let go of Lena, "Okay, go upstairs and get dressed. Get Lacy up too if she's not up yet."

Lena's smile returned, "Sure thing!" she trotted out of the kitchen, her towel slipping off.

"Check it out Sal, full moon!" Liby laughed.

" **Woo! Lena! Hey girl, you looking good today!"** cheered Sal.

"Dummkopf..." Lyra muttered.

Lincoln groaned, _"_ _It's another morning at our house..."_

…

Loan was sitting in Lincoln's studio, her arms closed around her legs, rocking a little on her bottom, naked as the day she was born. She looked aside.

"I know, I know. I'm an idiot for listening to a complete stranger and just going along with...is this even a kidnapping? Assisted abscond?" Loan shook her head, "Look, I know. I just...I dunno. I just wanted something...different. Something better. I just..."

The bathroom door creaked open. Loan looked back, eyes wide, expecting another ambush.

"Uh...here." Lincoln tossed in a towel and Loan's spare outfit, "Sorry about that, I should've told Lena the shower was in use. Get dressed and take a seat at the table for breakfast."

The door shut, and Loan slowly got to her feet and began drying off and getting dressed.

"W-Well, Uncle Lincoln seems to be okay I guess. It's weird, my mom never really talked about her side of the family. I think my grandma and grandpa from her side visited me before, but I can't really remember..."

Loan finished by pulling her black hoodie over her head, it went well with her baggy black jeans.

"...maybe this will all work out. It'll be okay..." Loan took a deep breath and headed for the dining room. The table had been set, Loan could hear her uncle talking in the kitchen, but the door was closed so whatever he was saying was coming out muffled. The tall, awkward girl simply took the first seat she came to-

"Yeah! Second to the table!"

Loan looked to her immediate right to see a little brown-haired girl in a ponytail with freckles wearing a bright red T-shirt with a white number "2" on it and a pair of white shorts sitting right next to her with her fists pumped up in the air. She looked up to Loan with a smile, "Nearly beat you Le...uh..."

Loan looked at her, dumbfounded.

The girl lowered her arms, confusion spread across her face, "...who the heck are you?"

"That's what I want to know!" the two turned to see Liby walking in with Sal, Lyra, and Lincoln behind her. They were all carrying plates of food which included eggs, sausage, and pancakes along with milk and orange juice.

Lincoln rolled his eyes, "Calm down Liby. Has anyone seen Lupa?"

"Right here, daddy." Loan nearly jumped, Lupa was sitting right next to her!

"When did you get here?" Loan asked.

Lupa shrugged, "Just now?"

"Good morning everybody!" everyone looked up to see Lena bouncing downstairs wearing a neon green tube top and white short shorts that tightly hugged her figure.

Lincoln groaned, setting down the food he was carrying, "Lena, it's too cold to be wearing that."

Lena held up her phone with a big smile on her face, "The weather app says it's getting warmer outside!"

"It's barely 60 degrees out!"

"I know! Warmer!"

Lincoln sighed, "Okay, fine. Everyone grab a seat, I have an important announcement to make."

They did so with Lena, Lacy, and Loan, sitting on one side while Lyra, Liby, and Sal sat on the other. Lincoln took his spot at the head of the table and Lupa was at the other end. Loan couldn't help but notice the four empty chairs surrounding her uncle, curious as to why no one but him sat at that end. Almost everyone made glances at Loan, then back to Lincoln. Liby was staring right at her with a suspicious glare.

Lincoln began, "Okay everyone, I'm sure you've all noticed by now that we have a guest with us today."

"Oh! You're the girl from the shower!" Lena acknowledged.

 **"Shower? With Lena?"** Sal asked with a grin.

Loan sank into her seat a bit.

Lincoln cleared his throat, "Everyone, this is Loan...she's your cousin."

"Cousin?" Liby questioned, eyebrows raised.

Lincoln sighed, "Yes Liby, she's going to be staying with us for a while."

"Why?"

"That's...a private matter. Just be nice to her, okay? That goes for all of you."

Loan felt herself being hugged from the side, "You can count on us uncle Linky! Hi Loan, I'm Lena!"

Lyra gave a smile and a wave, "Hallo fraulein, I am Lyra."

Sal gave a wink and pointed at Loan with two finger-guns, **"'Sup girl? Name's DJ Sal-E!"**

Liby just kept on analyzing the new girl.

Lacy gave her a smile, "Heh, thought you were Lena for a second there, but you don't got her chest."

Lupa just sat there and began eating her breakfast.

Loan was trying hard not to freak out from the sensory overload, _"...somehow I just became popular...oh god..."_

Lincoln gestured towards the hugger, "Lena please sit down, I need to ask you something."

Lena did so, "What is it uncle Linky?"

"Weren't you going to meet your friends today at the mall?"

Lena nodded, "Yup!"

"Can you take the others with you? I'm going to be very busy today and I need to be completely alone. Take Loan too so you all can get to know her."

Loan's eyes widened, _"The mall? Full of people? Oh no, oh no..."_

A big smile appeared on Lena's face, "O-M-Gosh! That's a great idea!" she turned towards Loan, "We totes need to get you a better outfit, oh and do something about that hair!"

" _...they're both fine..."_ Loan tried to drown out the over-enthusiasm and gulp down her breakfast.

It was nice to eat something that wasn't pre-packaged for once.

…

Shortly after breakfast, Loan was nearly dragged out of the house by Lena who was jabbering about all the fun they were going to have together. Lacy helped with giving Loan a slight push out the door, grinning like an imp. Lyra and Sal had said their goodbyes and Lupa had vanished in all the commotion.

" _...that just leaves one last obstacle."_ Lincoln turned to face Liby who sat on a stool, "Liby, honey, don't you want to join your cousins?"

Liby leaned on the island, smirk on her face, "Nah, I think I'd rather hang around at home today. Thanks for the offer though."

Lincoln sighed and walked around to the other side of the island, "Okay Liby, what's it going to take to get you out of the house?"

The braced grin grew, "Are you _sure_ you want to give me the power to make demands?"

Lincoln was unimpressed, "Just tell me what you want."

Liby gave him a serious look, "I want you to remove my allowance suspension, _and_ pay me the next two months in advance!"

"I can half your suspension and give you one month in advance." her uncle counter-offered.

"Deal!"

They shook on it, Lincoln took out his wallet and handed over the advance, "You're selling yourself shorter this year."

Liby grabbed the cash and pocketed it, "There's a sale at Pranks-A-Lot! See ya!" The menace in headgear skipped out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Lincoln groaned, _"_ _I was gonna lose either way...she's almost more dangerous than Luan...speaking of which..."_ The 32-year-old went to the window to see Lena's SUV pick up Liby before driving down the hill, away from the house. He then locked the back door, then headed for his studio. Inside, he stepped over the discarded towel and sat at his computer desk. He booted up the computer, and accessed his messenger. He sent out a group call.

" _I hope they pick up..."_

Luan was the first to respond, as always, Lincoln groaned as her video feed went through.

"Luan, please pull your pants back up."

"Oh, sorry! I thought this was a BOOTY call! Get it?" she laughed.

"Yeah, I do. Pull your damn pants up, we're having an emergency meeting."

Luan did so, then put her head between her legs, smug grin on her face, "Fine, Mr. Serious! By the way, did you get my pics?"

Lincoln sighed with a blush, "Yeah...I did..."

"Enjoyed them, didn't you?"

"Lynn's about to come on."

Lynn's video feed went through, the 34-year-old athlete gave a bit of a forced smile, "Heya bro, hey Luan...oh thank God, she's wearing pants."

"Hey Lynn, how are you holding up?"

Lynn looked away, gritting her teeth, "I swear to God, if I hear another one of these bitches call me 'old', someone's gonna lose an eye."

Lincoln sighed, _"_ _That bad, huh? She really ought to retire...but she'd kill me if I suggest it again."_

"So, what's the emergency Dr. Linc? Did Liby make you sterile?" Luan asked with a giggle.

Lincoln gave her a look, "Don't you even joke about that."

A look of shame spread across Luan's face, "Sorry Lincoln...I swear, I'll talk to her about how far she should take her pranks."

Lynn scoffed, "I don't think she can help it. Remember how far you used to go?"

Luan looked away, "Yeah...but that was more for fun and not just to direct it to one person."

Leni finally answered, her feed came on showing the most well-endowed member of the family smiling wide in a dress, "Hi Linky! Sorry it took me a while, I'm at a party and had to get away from the crowd." she spoke in a bit of a whisper.

"Mademoiselle! Where did you go? Please, come back!" came a French voice from Leni's end.

Leni put a finger before her lips for a bit, then put her finger down.

"Who was that?" Lynn asked.

Leni gave a wave, "One of my customers, he owns a boutique here. We were talking about possible designs but then I got this call."

Lincoln felt a bit of guilt, "I'm sorry Leni, you can-"

"Ah-ah! You come first Linky! Always! He'll still be there, don't you worry."

"What did you need anyway?" asked Lynn, "I gotta get to practice soon."

Lincoln took a deep breath, he looked over to see Luna and Sam still weren't answering. Typical. "Okay...I'll just have to tell Luna and Sam later."

Luan rolled her eyes, "As if they care." she remarked.

Lincoln sighed, "Luan, you know how show business can be-"

"And I still answered first."

"...okay, got me there."

"What's wrong, Linky?" Leni asked, her smile starting to fade a bit.

Lincoln figured he might as well drop it all now, "Last night, Loan showed up on our doorstep...she ran away from home...away from Lori."

Luan fell over.

Lynn's jaw dropped.

Leni covered her mouth.

Lincoln took another breath, "She came here to find me."


	3. Brave New World

**Brave New World**

" _Breathe in."_ Loan took a deep breath.

" _Breathe out."_ Loan let it all out.

Loan tried hard to get a grip on her anxiety. She was unsure how she ended up in the front passenger seat, but there she was, sitting right of Lena in the front of her vehicle. She turned to look behind her, in the middle two seats were Lyra and Sal both listening to music. The former listening to their music through earphones on her smartphone while the latter played their music loudly through their speakers, filling the inside of the SUV with an old synth-pop song.

In the very back sat the trio of Liby, Lacy, and Lupa. Liby was flipping through the banknotes she extorted from Lincoln with a grin on her face while occasionally glancing up at Loan, making the older girl flinch a little. Lacy seemed to be throwing something and catching it again seconds later, Loan was confused at first but then she noticed that Lacy was wearing a VR headset and glove. Lupa was writing away in a book she had, and Loan couldn't recall if she had that with her as they left the house or not. Then again, she wasn't really paying much attention to her or anyone aside from Lena who was dragging her to the car in the first place.

Loan looked over at Lena. She was texting on her phone. Both hands off the wheel.

"What are you doing!" Loan suddenly yelped, surprising Lena.

Lena looked over at Loan, phone still in her hands, "Oh, I'm texting my friends to let them know I'm bringing my cousins."

"You don't have your hands on the steering wheel! You-" Loan then realized that they hadn't crashed yet and that Lena hadn't had her hands on the steering wheel ever since they got on the road.

"Um...you do know I have it on autopilot, right?" Lena gave her a concerned look, "Haven't you ever driven a car? Almost all of them have autopilot these days."

"And with Lena driving, we're a _lot_ safer on autopilot!" Came a shout from the far back.

Loan sank into the passenger seat, clutching herself, "N-no, I've never driven a car. My mom told me I wouldn't have to."

Lena had pity in her eyes, "Aw, that's no fun. You wanna try driving on the way back?"

Loan shook her head, "No, I'm good..."

Lena gave her a smile and a pat on the thigh, "Okay! Just let me know if you change your mind!" she then went back to her texting.

 _"Well, she has no sense of personal space..."_ Loan laid her head back and looked out the windshield, watching the countryside pass them by. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she slowly closed them.

…

"Lincoln, send that.. _.thing_ back to wherever it came from!" Lynn shouted.

Lincoln was used to arguments.

Leni frowned at Lynn, "Don't call her that! Linky honey, you let that poor girl stay there as long as she needs to!"

He was used to his sisters trying to talk over one another.

Luan slapped her forehead, "This is serious you guys! How the hell did she even find our house?"

He was used to being the one to resolve them, he took a deep breath, "Okay, quiet!" he commanded. His volume and tone worked wonders on many people, but especially his lovers who all quieted down and waited for him to continue. "I already decided to let her stay with us. Lynn, Luan, I knew you two would take issue with it, but unless you think you can convince me to throw my daughter out, you'll just have to deal."

"Daughter, right, as if she qualifies as one." Lynn scoffed.

Luan narrowed her eyes, "What's Lacy then?"

Lynn forced both hands on the table she sat at, "You leave her out of this!"

"Okay, enough!" Lincoln got the two of them to settle down, "I'm sure you're all wondering how she got here."

"Does that really matter?" Leni asked.

"Of course it does!" Luan answered, "We worked hard to keep our home a secret!"

"Well...it seems that Lisa sent her here." Lincoln revealed. For a moment, everything was quiet as the words sat in the room like the elephant that it was.

"Lisa? Are you fucking serious?" Lynn asked.

"Language Lynn!" Leni chastised, "But wow, Lisa found out where we live? Why didn't she send a card?"

Luan seemed to shake a little, "That's...not good, what does she want from us?"

Lincoln faced away from the webcam, "I got no idea. It's been over ten years, and I doubt mom and dad have forgiven me for...well, everything..." he sighed and reached under the desk, pulling up a water bottle that he drank from before speaking again, "She just showed up last night with Lupa and-"

"Oh, of fucking course _Lupa_ is part of this!" Lynn snarled, "That girl's been nothing but trouble since the day she was born!"

"Lynn!" Leni and Luan shouted in unison.

Lincoln was still.

Lynn started to panic, "Oh shit, I'm sorry Linc, I just-"

"Lynn." Lincoln began, his voice was even.

"I'm sor-"

"If you want to blame someone for what happened to Lucy, blame me."

Lynn looked down, she shut her eyes, "I'm sorry, I just...I miss her."

Leni looked down, "We all miss her, Lynn."

Luan nodded.

Lincoln drank from the water bottle again, not turning back, "...sometimes it feels like she's just hiding out of the corner of my eye. That she's just waiting to jump out and say 'boo' or 'hey Lincoln' or something that'll scare the heck out of me. But...she never does."

The four were quiet for a moment, Lincoln finished his bottle and threw it behind him, not caring whether it landed in the wastebasket near the door or not.

"...I love you Lincoln." Luan suddenly said.

Lincoln nodded, "I know."

"I love you too!" Lynn chimed in, Lincoln could see the tears she was trying to hide.

Lincoln nodded, "I know."

"We all love you Linky...do you want us to stay awhile?"

Lincoln shook his head, "Nah...I took up enough of your time. I'll be okay."

"Wait, what about Loan?" Luan asked, trying to steer the thought process back to the main point.

"You all just let me worry about her...she's my responsibility." Lincoln told them.

Leni looked up, "Uh oh, I gotta go. It looks like I've been found." she giggled, then blew a kiss at the camera, "Have a great day Linky! Love you!"

Leni's feed went out.

Lynn rubbed her eyes, "I'd better get off too, need to uh...shower again before practice."

Lynn's feed went out.

Luan smiled at the camera, eyebrows up, "So...we alone now?"

Lincoln sighed, "Luan, please, I'm not in the mood for camsex right now."

Luan nodded, her smirk sank into a frown, "Okay...but hey Linc? What are we gonna do about Lisa?"

Lincoln shrugged, "Hell if I know. If she can get Loan away from...you know who, and then bring her here, she could've had me locked up by now without breaking a sweat."

Luan frowned more, "...Lori is still at the top of my list."

Lincoln nodded, "I know...I just want to forget her. I had that nightmare again."

Luan gritted her teeth, "Lincoln, I swear, if I ever see her again-"

"It won't do any good Luan. Just...let's just try to avoid any confrontation with her." Lincoln looked back at the screen, back to the invite he sent out.

"...is she still not answering?"

Lincoln nodded.

Luan's angry frown turned more bitter, "...Luna better not have OD'd again."

Lincoln shrugged, "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised."

Luan sighed, "Well...at least you're taking good care of Lyra."

Lincoln nodded, "Sal too, they're great kids."

Luan smiled, "You working today, Linc?"

Lincoln nodded, "I am, actually. Probably should now that I got the kids out of the house...it can get awkward if they walk in on me...working."

Luan laughed, "Yeah, I remember when Liby and Lacy walked in on you that one time and they saw their first naked man."

Lincoln snickered, "I can't help it! It's so much easier to sketch and write when I'm...natural."

"I could watch you work all day...but I bet you want your privacy."

Lincoln nodded, "If you don't mind."

Luan nodded and waved, "Good luck Lincoln! Make us the big bucks!"

Luan's feed went out.

Lincoln exited the messenger and stood up. He pulled his shirt off over his head, throwing it onto the futon. He started unbuckling his jeans but suddenly stopped. Lincoln looked around his studio, seeing it empty. He shrugged, and went back to his stripping.

"I could've sworn I saw something..."

…

"We're here!" Lena loudly cheered.

Loan groggily opened up her eyes to see that they were pulling into a parking lot, and that Lena's hands were on the wheel. They had arrived at a large building with a big sign above the doors, displaying the name Woodland Crossings. Lena brought the vehicle to a halt, and turned around, "Okay! Everyone out and partner up!"

The rear doors opened up and the five in the back quickly exited the SUV. Lena shut off the engine and got out herself. Loan stayed in her seat and took a deep breath, " _Alright, let's do this."_ Loan opened the door and got out of the vehicle, seeing Lyra, Sal, Lacy, and Lupa gathered together. Loan soon felt an arm linking around her's, and got pulled into a side hug.

"I'll be with Loan since it's her first time here!" Lena announced.

Loan squirmed out of the hug, "Please stop doing that!" she told her.

Lyra sighed, "Lena, I believe our newly met cousine isn't too accepting of your...touching."

Lena giggled, "Sorry! I can't help it!"

 **"You sure we should be splitting up today?"** Sal asked, **"I thought we were all spending time with Loan?"**

Lena nodded, "We are! I just think we should spend time with her in shifts. We don't want Loan to get too overwhelmed!"

Loan rolled her eyes, "I'm right here you know...wait." she finally realized they were missing someone, "Where's uh..."

"Liby ran off ahead." Lacy told her, arms behind her head, "It happens, she'll find us when she feels like it."

Lupa went up to Sal, and threw her arms up, "Sally, up."

Sal grinned, **"Aren't you too old for that, sis?"**

Lupa shook her head, "Up."

Sal helped Lupa up and she latched on Sal's back, riding piggyback.

Loan raised an eyebrow at Sal, "She's your sister?"

Sal smiled, **"Half-sister, but she's still the cutest little sister ever!"**

Loan looked up to see Lupa's poker face looking back at her. With a shrug she asked, "So, uncle Lincoln is your dad too?"

 **"Ding-ding girl! Right now, my mom's away on tour with Lyra's mom. They play in a band together!"**

"Wow, really?" Loan asked Lyra who was looking away with her face in a scowl.

"Sure, whatever." Lyra had dropped the accent, she grabbed onto Lacy's hand, "We're going to the arcade. See ya."

"Bye guys!" Lacy waved with her free hand as Lyra pulled her towards the doors.

Loan was taken aback from the sudden action the classy Lyra displayed, "What was that about?" She asked.

"Lyra hates her mom." Lupa flatly said.

 **"Lupa, she doesn't** _ **hate**_ **her."** Sal retorted, **"She's just upset with her...a lot."**

"Her burning every bit of merchandise aunt Luna sends seems like hate to me..."

Lena clapped her hands, "Okay then! Enough of the negative stuff! Let's go have fun!" Lena went for Loan's arm again but the older girl instinctively pulled her arm away, Lena kept her smile and clapped her hands again, "Follow me Loan! Try to keep up!" Lena headed for the entrance.

Loan shrugged and followed. _"Guess I'm stuck on this ride."_ she lamented.

Sal looked up towards Lupa, **"GameGo?"**

Lupa pointed forward, "GameGo."

...

Loan followed her cousin into the mall, trying to keep a good pace. There weren't many people around, much to the anxious girl's relief. Lena was bouncing ahead, and Loan noticed a few shoppers stopping and giving her double takes.

Lena soon enough turned around, and waved. "Come on Loan! I know a place that'll find you a dress with matching panties!"

Loan could see people looking towards her, she kept her head down and hurried to catch up. Lena smirked as she lead the way up an escalator. "Where exactly are we going?" Loan asked.

"The best place to find something that fits just right!" Lena cheered, "I go there all the time with my girlfriends!"

Loan rolled her eyes, "Right, okay..." When the two reached the second level of the mall, Loan looked ahead and spotted a very tall, dark-haired, handsome young man wearing visor sunglasses, _"Whoa, he's a cutie..."_ she started feeling a bit flustered.

Lena broke away into a run and jumped towards the young man, arms out. "Gary!"

The young man caught Lena, and reciprocated her hug. He chuckled a bit when she started kissing his face, "Hey Lena!" He then kissed her back.

Loan sighed, _"Of course he's her boyfriend..."_

"Oh, and this is Loan!" Lena bounced back onto the floor and backed up to Loan's side.

Gary offered Loan a hand, "Hi there, I'm Garrett Saphir."

Loan blankly stared at his hand.

"Uh...Loan doesn't do hand stuff." Lena told him.

Gary brought back his hand, stroking his afro, "Oh, like Perry. Got it."

"Perry?" Loan asked.

Lena smiled, "Oh, he's another one of my boyfriends!"

Loan was still for a moment, she then turned aside and shrugged.

"Hey, where's Perry?" Lena asked, "Where's everyone? Weren't you all gonna meet me here?"

Gary shrugged, "Sorry Lena, Perry dragged Steve to GameGo. Also, Meryl and Amy started shopping without you."

Lena giggled, "Poor Steve." she turned towards her cousin, "Come on Loan, we should hurry before Amy grabs the best stuff!"

Loan shrugged, "Alright. How much further are we going?"

"Oh, it's right there!" Lena pointed to a nearby storefront of a clothes store with a sign displaying the name One Size Fits Most. A few mannequins were on display, one wearing a sweater that only seemed to cover the chest and waist leaving the midriff exposed while its companion wore a dress made entirely out of multicolored beads.

" _...people wear this stuff?"_ Loan wondered as she was whisked away into the boutique. Inside the store, the clerk at the counter turned and smiled.

"Welcome back Lena!"

Lena waved, "Hey Chloe!"

The clerk eyed Loan, "New friend?"

"Better than that! She's my cousin!"

Loan gave a meek wave, "Um, hi."

Chloe walked around the counter, "Oh em gosh! You are so adorable!"

"Eh?" Loan blushed a bit.

"Oh yes! Just look at those cute blue eyes! That milky skin! That nice and slender figure! Oh, but why are you wearing such baggy clothes to hide it all?"

Loan started to shake a little and tried to focus her attention away from the approaching clerk.

"Oh, Chloe, anything new from my mom this month?" Lena asked.

Chloe stopped, "Oh totes yes! They're only on display right now though."

"Your mom?" Loan asked.

The clerk's mouth dropped open, "Don't you know Leni Loud? She's a fashion _genius_! Oh em gosh, you _must_ try some of her clothing line!"

Loan felt sweat on the back of her neck, "Uh, I don't really-"

"Sounds great Chloe!" Lena interrupted, " Go grab some and meet us in the changing room, 'kay?"

"Okie dokie!" the clerk finally went away.

Lena turned towards Loan with a meek smile, "Sorry, Chloe is kinda...pushy."

" _You're one to talk."_ Loan thought to herself, she watched Chloe as she bounced towards the back of the store and felt a pat on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go find an open room." Lena was all smiles.

Loan put her hand up a bit, "Lena, I don't really want any new clothes."

"You don't have to get any new clothes, but it's fun to try them on at least!" Lena headed towards a doorway that had the label Changing Rooms.

Loan turned around to see Gary just outside the store, though he was on his phone. Loan figured it was either going along with this or being alone and nervous around one of the guys her cousin was dating. After taking a breath, she choose the former. Loan walked to the doorway to see Lena being hugged and kissed by short and plump girl with long lilac hair.

"Girl! Where've you been!" she asked boisterously.

Lena giggled, "Sorry Amy! Uncle Linky asked me to bring my cousins along. Made me a little bit late."

"Ha! Don't blame ya, I dunno how you handle five kids! I can hardly watch one little squirt when my mom's out!"

Loan stood in the doorway, a bit dumbfounded.

Amy took notice of her, "What, you got a problem or something?"

Loan took a few steps back.

Lena patted the plump girl's shoulder, "Ah! Amy wait, this is Loan!"

Amy turned her head, "Who?"

"Didn't you get my text?"

Amy stood there a moment, then she shrugged with a sheepish grin.

Lena sighed, she went to Loan, "Sorry, Amy can be a bit...defensive..."

Loan had a few questions on her mind, "...uh, so she's uh-"

Lena smiled, "She's my girlfriend!"

"...don't you already have a few boyfriends?"

"Yep!"

Loan looked over at Amy who was pushing her fingers through her hair, "Her other girlfriend is here too."

Loan was at a loss for words.

"Ooh! What's Meryl trying on?" Lena asked.

Amy grinned, "Why don't you see for yourself?" she asked as she opened the door to a dressing room. Inside was a tall and lean girl with short peach hair in negligee who turned from a mirror to the opening door, hastily covering herself.

"Amy! What are you doing!" she yelled, blushing a little.

Lena giggled at the sight, "Oh my Meryl! Is that see-through?"

"Lena! No! Don't look!" the nearly naked girl approached the door.

"But it looks good on you!"

"Really? Ah! No! Don't look!" she then slammed the door shut.

Amy laughed at the scene, Lena giggled, "Poor Meryl! I'm sorry sweetie, but you do look adorable in that!"

A few moments later and the door swung open again, the thin girl having put on something more socially acceptable. She approached the laughing Amy and gave her a slap, "I told you to never do that again!"

Amy rubbed her cheek, still laughing, "Sorry girl, but you were driving me crazy saying how Lena wouldn't notice you wearing something so sexy!"

"Aw, is that what this was all about?" Lena gave Meryl a hug, "Of course I'd notice silly! I love you!"

Meryl blushed and "Oh...thank you Le-"

Loan simply stood there, rubbing her arm and trying not to look at the scene.

"...excuse me a moment." Meryl slipped out of Lena's hug and went back inside the changing room, shut the door, then reopened it a few seconds later and walked out. She gave a small wave to Loan, "Hello there, you must be Loan!"

Loan looked down at the floor, "Um...yeah, that's me."

Meryl folded her hands together, "Uh, sorry you had to see that, I'm not normally so violent..."

"Liar."

"You're lucky we're not alone." Meryl grumbled,

"Girls, we have a problem." announced Gary, walking into the changing room area.

Meryl squealed, "You're not supposed to be in here!"

"Chill Meryl, it's not like he hasn't seen you naked before. What's up, big guy?"

"Steve called, we got a Perry Problem."

Lena covered her mouth, "Oh no, is he arguing with the store clerk again?"

"Worse, he's threatening to destroy a display case."

Amy started cackling, "Oh man, that idiot!"

Meryl sighed, "Well, if he gets arrested, that's his fault."

Lena pulled a bit on her hair, "Oh no! Perry can't get arrested! He has to help me study for a test this week!"

Gary patted Lena's cheek, "Don't worry Lena, I'll take care of it." with that, he headed out of the store.

"Uh, yeah, me too!" Meryl claimed before following after Gary.

Amy pulled out her phone before walking out, "This'll be hilarious. Catch ya later Lena, and Lena's cousin or whatever."

Lena and Loan were left alone, Lena took a deep breath before turning to Loan with a frown, "I'm sorry for all of that Loan."

"Huh?" Loan was taken aback by the sudden shift in demeanor.

Lena pulled on her hair again, "I said earlier that I didn't want you to get too overwhelmed with meeting all of us at once, and here I go screwing all that up by showing you off to my girlfriends and one of my boyfriends. I'm so sorry that I didn't think any of that through, I can't imagine how uncomfortable you may feel."

Loan didn't know what to say, so far Lena had been all smiles and simplicity. Loan cleared her throat, "Uh, that's um...I'm fine Lena."

Lena suddenly perked up, "Really?"

Loan rubbed the back of her neck, "Yeah... I mean, It might've been a bit too much all at once, but that sort of thing happened this morning too."

Lena blushed, "Yeah, and we shared a shower."

"Please don't remind me..." a light flicked on in Loan's head, "Wait, so you like girls?"

Lena nodded, "Boys too. Well, I kinda like who I like." She inched a bit closer to Loan, a grin growing on her face, "I'm starting to like you too..."

Loan backed up, raising her hands in front of her, "Uh, I'm flattered, but uh, I prefer men."

Lena's grin faded a bit, "Oh. Well, that's okay! We can still be friends!"

"Uh, plus I'm your cousin, remember?"

Lena's face then scrunched up in confusion, "Why would that be a problem?"

Loan felt her blood chill upon hearing that question. A lot about it didn't sound right. Even for a sexually liberated girl like Lena, she surely isn't being serious about... "Because...it's wrong?" Loan finally answered.

Lena raised an eyebrow, "Says who?"

…

 _Loan was cornered. Her mother was furious with her, but she couldn't for the life of her understand why._

" _You're disgusting!" Loan heard her hiss._

" _Mom, I was just-"_

" _Just what? Peeking at your father while he was in the shower?"_

" _No! I was just getting my-"_

 _Loan's mother jabbed a finger into her chest, "Stop making excuses! Listen to me you little freak, whatever you're feeling? It's wrong. Just sick and wrong!"_

" _But-"_

" _Go to your room! And you can forget about dinner!"_

…

"Loan, are you okay?" Lena asked, snapping Loan out of her thoughts, "Does your chest hurt?"

Loan was subconsciously rubbing her chest a little, then shook her head, "I'm fine...I'm just...I dunno, forget what I was saying."

"Loan?"

Loan folded her arms and looked away, "Just forget it."

Lena slowly opened her arms, "...Loan, I'm going to hug you, okay?"

"...okay."

Loan felt the light embrace of this girl she barely knew, this girl who may as well have been her polar opposite. She was held close, but not too close to be uncomfortable. _"...she's really warm...can't really remember when I was last hugged like this. It feels nice..."_

Lena gently let go, "Feel better?"

Loan let her arms fall to her sides, "I dunno, a bit better...I think."

Lena smiled, "That's good...so, you ready to try on some new clothes?'

"Huh?"

"Lena! Loan!" Loan turned to see Chloe approaching with a clothing rack filled with outfits, "I got you two some things that are in for spring!"

" _Wait, weren't two of those from the window? And the others, they're just as skimpy!"_

Lena went right up to the rack and pulled off a few outfits, "Oooh! Mom's clothes are just the cutest! C'mon Loan, let's try some!"

" _...I don't have a choice, do I?"_ Loan lamented.

…

Inside GameGo, Lupa was pulling on the sleeve of her older half-sibling, "Sally, look. There's a guy jumping up and down at the register."

Sal didn't bother to look, **"Hey uh...let's go to the bookstore instead, I heard they got the new volume of** _ **ViVi's Strange Journey**_ **..."**


End file.
